The string quintet of the Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra will hold a concert tonight as part of the Ohrid Summer Festival.
Vladimir Kostov – first violin, Dunja Bontek – second violin, Ilin – Dime Dimovski – double bass, Aleksandar Jakopinec – violin, Paskal Krapovski – cello and Aleksandar Ivanov solo violin will perform in the church “St. Sophia” from 9 pm.
Last pandemic year, when many musicians were prevented from performing, a group of members of the Zagreb Philharmonic, observing all protection measures, gathered and held rehearsals to prevent the music from “stopping”. The five members of the ensemble who have many years of experience in chamber music – for the first time together begin to “communicate” in such a composition, bringing to the audience, and to themselves a little comfort through the universal language of music. Although there are short periods of time, due to their individual musical qualities that unite them in exceptional joint musicianship, they very quickly win the sympathy of the music public. For the performance of the String Quintet of ZGF at the festival “Ohrid Summer” as the first violin will be – the master of the Macedonian Philharmonic Vladimir Kostov.
Vladimir Kostov is a concert master of the Macedonian Philharmonic, soloist, chamber musician and professor at the Faculty of Music in Skopje. In addition to performing in an orchestra, Kostov is a soloist with his home orchestra and the Chamber Orchestra of the Ministry of Finance, has played on several occasions in the World Orchestra of Musical Youth, and is a founder and member of several chamber ensembles such as: “ALEA”, “Bacchus”, “V “AM”, “Brevis” and “Kon Tempora”. Kostov is a great supporter of young talents and is the creator and director of the festival for young violinists “Violin Fest”.
Dunja Bontek is the Deputy Concert Master of the Zagreb Philharmonic and a collaborator and member of several important Croatian ensembles: the Vara Ваdin Chamber Orchestra, the Croatian Baroque Orchestra, the Zadar Chamber Orchestra and the Zagreb Soloists Orchestra. In addition, he is a member of the Metropolitan Chamber Orchestra in Vienna. She was the deputy leader of the HRT Symphony Orchestra, performed as a soloist in several orchestras and was named the most promising young artist in Croatia.
Ilin-Dime Dimovski is a Macedonian double bass player with an international career who has been working in the orchestra of the Zagreb Philharmonic for almost a decade. He received his education at prestigious music centers in Great Britain (Gilhall School of Music) and in Trieste, where he received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees. In Zagreb he collaborates with the Zagreb soloists and the Croatian Chamber Orchestra, and is the tutor and project leader at the Summer Music Contrabass Camp in Groznjan. He is the founder of several chamber ensembles that include renowned Croatian, Macedonian and international musicians.
Aleksandar Ivanov, the youngest winner of the Virtuoso Award in the category Young Music Artist for 2015 was born in one of the oldest music families in S. Macedonia. He is currently a student at the prestigious Juilliard School of Music in New York, USA in the class of Prof. Lori Smackler.
In addition to numerous state awards, Alexander has won significant international awards such as Laureate of the St Petersburg Violin Competition, First and Special Prize of the Danube Symphony Orchestra, Budapest and many others.
He has solo performances with the Macedonian Philharmonic Orchestra, the Orchestra of the Musical Youth of Macedonia, the Danube Symphony Orchestra, the Classic FM Radio Orchestra and others. Performed with conductors: Borjan Canev, Marin Alsop, Andrash Deck, Vesko Panteleev – Eshkenazi, Joshua Girsen, Mark Russell Smith, Paul Bryan.
Ivanov is constantly present on the Macedonian music scene, but also outside it. There are many solo and chamber performances in Vienna. He has performed at the European Music Festival in Sofia, Violin Fest and Golden Lyre in Skopje, Curtis Summerfest, Philadelphia, and at the opening of the festival Days of Macedonian Music 2018. he is honored to premiere the violin concerto of his older brother, the composer Filip Ivanov.
Aleksandar Jakopanec-violin
A graduate of the Music Academy in Zagreb, Aleksandar Jakopanec continued to study at the Columbus University School of Music. He holds a post in the viola section of the Zagreb Philharmonic and is the leader of violas in the No borders orchestra. In addition he is the co-founder of the Croatian string quartet and a member of the Zagreb soloists, Croatian baroque ensemble and Varazdin chamber orchestra. He performs on the viola d’amore which gives him the opportunity to explore the baroque repertoire. An avid chamber musician and soloist, Jakopanec has appeared at numerous festivals and is the artistic director of the AmadeusFest festival in Bjelovar.
Paskal Krapovski – violin
Paskal Krapovski was born in Skopje, in a family with a 150-year musical tradition. He made his first musical steps with his father, the cellist Risto Krapovski, and graduated and obtained his master’s degree at the State Music Academy “Pancho Vladigerov” in Sofia, R. Bulgaria, in the class of prof. Anatoli Krstev. He attended master courses in cello with professors Mineo Hayashi, Anatoli Krstev, Milos Mlejnik, Alban Gerhardt.
Krapovski is a multiple winner of state competitions in cello and chamber music. He has been a member of several orchestras, such as the Music Youth of Macedonia and Slovenia and Austria. He performed as part of the “Days of Macedonian Culture” event in Ankara and Istanbul, Turkey. In March 2001 he participated in the Music-Improvisation-Theater Festival in Bern, Switzerland.
Paskal Krapovski performs as a soloist with the Macedonian Philharmonic Orchestra, the Macedonian Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra, at the Skopje and Ohrid Summer Festivals, the Bitola Summer Festival and “Days of Macedonian Music”. In 2005 and 2006 he received an invitation from the European Association of Musicians as a representative from Macedonia to participate in international orchestral projects in Medea, Italy.
Krapovski is the leader of the cello group at the Macedonian Philharmonic Orchestra and the Chamber Orchestra of the Macedonian Philharmonic, and is a regular member of the ensembles “Music Progressive Quartet” and “BREVIS” quartet. Since 2005 he has been a cello teacher at the DMBUC “Ilija Nikolovski-Luj”, and since 2007 he has been an assistant professor of cello at the Faculty of Music “Goce Delchev” in Stip.
